Novel Approaches to Sustainable Polymeric Materials

Abstract

Global polymer production and use has led to an exponential rise in the consumption of non-renewable resources and the generation of environmentally persistent waste. This research investigates three key areas to enhance the sustainability of industrially relevant polymeric materials. With the goal of replacing non-renewable resources with waste and bio-derived resources and the extension of useful service lifetime, these novel materials reduce resource demand and decrease waste generation.
A method is described for producing an alkyd polymer from biosourced monomers and contaminated post-consumer waste polyethylene terephthalate that cannot be recycled. This process is achieved in a single step without additional purification, and the resulting polymers and thermosets are characterised using chemical and physical analysis. These novel polymers are compared to a petrochemical derived control and are shown to have equal or greater performance, as tested.
A novel starch-based acrylic macromonomer was synthesised via Fischer esterification of starch with methacrylic acid and used directly as a replacement for styrene in emulsion polymerisations. The resulting latex dispersions formed continuous films without the addition of volatile coalescing agents, with up to 66% functionalised starch by weight. The macromonomer concentration, effect of initiator type and concentration on the properties of the resulting copolymers were assessed.
Evidence is generated that inclusion of dimethylolpropionic acid in the monomer composition of a polyurethane imparts self-healing properties by increasing hydrogen bonding sites. A Taguchi experimental design was used to assess optimisation of the monomer composition and self-healing efficacy was assessed by tensile testing after cutting and healing for 1- and 24-hour time periods. A use case investigation explored the materials' performance in exo-atmospheric conditions and a conducted life cycle analysis showed that a self-healing product can significantly reduce environmental impact factors, mostly driven by avoided production.

Date of Award	30 Sept 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Northumbria University
Supervisor	Justin Perry (Supervisor) & Matthew Unthank (Supervisor)